| LOCATION | Edinburgh, NL Scotland |
| MANUSCRIPT | Edinburgh, NL Scotland, MS.17825 |
| ITEM No. 1 | Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic) |
Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic)
Author(s):
Incipit:
Ius proprium Scotiae - Practicks (general digest of law, systematic) .
No mention of an author, and no title for the work, but the time range and the correspondence of several sequences of titles to parallel sequences in MSS Edinburgh, NL Scotland, Adv.MS.24.6.5-6, point to Sir Robert Spottiswoode.
Points of law, most of them taken from decisions, arranged under titles. Many of them are lifted from the Corpus iuris civilis and Corpus iuris canonici. The titles up to fol. 93r are consecutively numbered 1-86, with several mistakes of numbering. Within each title the individual entries are numbered in ink whose colour often differs from the text - the numbers were thus added later. At the end of each title, space is left free for additions, and at times this space has been used. One addition on fol. 52r is dated 1636/3/19 (fol. 52r). Another one on fol. 32v is even dated 1658/12/3. This is the latest date in the volume.
Most decisions bear dates between 1620 and 1636, but the collector also cited decisions from the early 16th century: 1518 (fol. 55r), 1540 (fol. 53r), 1541 (fol. 93r) and 1546 (fol. 16v, 19r). Late years: 1635 (e.g. fol. 10r, 21r, 26r, 48v, 62r, 81v, 87v) and 1636 (e.g. fol. 3r, 16v, 18r). I also found four decisions from 1637 (fol. 7r, 10v, 12v, 18r), but I deem that they were added at a later time. The same applies to single summaries of statutes 1644 and 1649 (fol. 19r, 52r, 77v). Explicit references to Scottish sources: 'out of Haddington's Practicks' (fol. 93r); 'Hops Practicques' (e.g. fol. 82r-v); 'Co(lville)' (frequent, e.g. fol. 71v-72r, 76r for decisions of 1583 and 1591); 'B. t. 19' and similar abbreviations, or simply 'B.', never dated, probably referring to Balfour's Practicks (frequent, e.g. fol. 33v, 80v, 84v); Craig, 'Jus feudale' (very frequent).
Large parts of the work are written in Latin, and it uses the full technical vocabulary and style of Jus Commune writings. It also contains many pertinent quotations. Corpus iuris civilis (e.g. fol. 32r [several], 41r-42r [many quotations], 43v, 59v [three quotations], 86r); Charondas, Pandectes du droit françois (e.g. fol. 43r, 91v, 93r); Papon, Les arrests (e.g. fol. 30v, 32r, 43r, 58v); Gudelinus, De jure novissimo (e.g. fol. 57v, 90r); Gudelinus, De jure feudorum (e.g. fol. 15v, 78v); Alphonsus de A(l)zevedo (e.g. fol. 48v, 88v); Schneidewin [{i}= Oinotomus{/i}], Commentarius ad Institutiones (e.g. fol. 43r, 62v, 69r); An(naeus) Rob(ertus), Rerum iudicatarum libri (fol. 58r); (Antonius) Perez, Commentarius ad Codicem (e.g. fol. 43r); Guid(o) Pap(a), Qu(aestiones) (fol. 32r); (Henricus) Zoes(ius), Commentarius ad Digesta (fol. 13r-v); Vasquez, Controversiae (fol. 13v).
The arrangement of titles is only loosely systematic and rather based on associations of ideas. I deem that the original from which the present MS derived was not bound and consisted of loose sheets whose arrangement could easily be changed.
[{i}Titles:{/i}] [Of poynding? fol. i.]. [4 Of comprysing? fol. 1]. 5 Of transsumpts. 6 Procurators and actorneyes. 7 Summonds and libells. 8 Incident diligence. 9 Removeings. 10 [{i}lacking{/i}]. 11 Escheit and lyfrent. 12 Confirmatione of kirk landes and their infeftments. 13 Minors and pupils, tutors and curators. 14 De praescriptione et usucapione. 15 Concerneing warrandice and evictions. 16 Of bastardie. 17 Of legittimatione. 18 De praesumptionibus. 20 Of consent and ratihabitione, but especially of servitudes. 21 Of regalities. 22 De patronatus jure. 23 Of improbatione. 24 Of reductione. 25 Exhibitione and delyvery of writts. 26 Of redemptiones or reversions. 27 Of interdictions or inhibitions. 28 Father and son. 29 Communia trium actionum familiae erciscundae et communi dividundo et finium regundorum. 30 Of annualrents, de usuris. 31 Concerneing inhibitions. 32 Of releiffe. 33 Of mynes. 34 Of woods. 35 Charge and requisitione. 35 [{i}again!{/i}] Of successors and successione. 36 Of superiors. 37 Of advocatione. 38 Suspensione. 39 Of assignations. 40 De actionibus. 41 Debtors and creditors. 42 Contraventions and laborrowes. 43 Commissariats. 44 Obligations and contracts and bands. [44a] De rei vindicatione et Ad exhibendum. 45 Of compensatione. 46 De acquirendo et amittendo rerum dominio. 47 Of colheuchs and colls. 48 De fisco. 49 Of brieves. 50 Of universal intrometters. 51 Of balzieries. 52 Of pasturage. 53 Of excambion. 54 Of forfaltor or De forisfactura. 55 Of writts and evidents. 55 [{i}again!{/i}] Of tailzies. 55 [{i}a third time!{/i}] Of word and promise. 56 Of arbiters, compromits or submissions. 57 De jure protimeseos sive praelationis. 58 Customes of baronies, brughts, etc. 59 Of mylnes and mulctours. 60 Of fischings. 61 Of interesse. 62 Of mariage. 63 Of devorcement. 64 Of renunciatione. 65 Of horneings. 66 Concerneing captions. 67 Of the courtesie of Scotland. 68 Of non-entrie, seu De non-introitu. 69 Of entrie to lands. 70 Of idiots and furious persons. 71 Of kirkmen and kirk patrimonie. 72 Of recognitione. 73 Of executors. 74 Of heirs and heirship goods. 75 Of vasals. 76 Of testaments. 77 Of legacies. 78 Of revocatione. 79 De deposito. 80 De confessione. 81 Of transferring. 82 Of husband and wyfe. 83 De fluminibus. 84 De intimatione seu insinuatione. 85 [{i}wrongly numbered 84{/i}] De juramento, or Of an oath. 85 [{i}wrongly numbered 86{/i}] Of probatione. [{i}86, not numbered{/i}] Of registratione (fol. 107r). [{i}87, not numbered{/i}] Of unione (fol. 108r). [{i}88, not numbered{/i}] De executione sententiae (fol. 108v). [{i}89, not numbered{/i}] Of declarators of irritant clauses (fol. 109r). [{i}90, not numbered{/i}] Of litis contestation (fol. 110r).
On fol. 69r the scrivener inserted the text of an Act of Parliament of 1646 [{i}after title 65{/i}]
Author(s):
No. of pages: Fol. ii-iii, fol. 1r-93r, 107r-110r
Incipit: